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Monday, October 5, 2015

Journey from Writer to Storyteller {+ Giveaway}

I’m thrilled to welcome author Jadie Jones back to Thoughts in Progress. She makes a stop here today as part of her WOW Moonlit Trilogy Blog Tour. We get to revisit MOONLIT and learn about WINDSWEPT and WILDWOOD.

As part of her tour, Jadie is dropping by to talk about her ‘Journey from Writer to Storyteller.’ In addition, one lucky visitor will win a copy of WINDSWEPT. Please see the end of the post for more details on the giveaway and learn how you can win other prizes.

She's back with the entire enthralling Moonlit trilogy this time.

One day you’re a horse crazy teenager mourning your dead father and missing your grief stricken mother and the next...you aren't. Turns out Tanzy has been hidden in our world and belongs to another realm. And they want her back! On one hand, some people want her to be Queen. On the other hand, some people want her dead. Tanzy is forced to navigate both worlds while trying to decide who to trust as she uncovers her new powers and searches for her lost love.

Here’s a brief synopsis of all three books:Moonlit is the story of eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can't be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods.When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn't. But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?Tanzy's journey continues in Windswept, the second installment of the Moonlit Trilogy when Tanzy is the key in an ancient prophecy pivotal to the existence of all beings, both Seen and Unseen. Unseen who have waited a millennium for her birth are relentless in their efforts to see the prophecy fulfilled--whether for good or evil, depending on which side of the conflict one stands. Others have sworn an oath to end Tanzy's existence, permanently.Already, Tanzy's body has been compromised by her enemies, her veins now home to the blood of a wild horse whose instincts are becoming impossible to control. While Tanzy's Unseen enemies work to draw her out of a remote safe house, her friends beg her to stay in hiding. Tanzy is torn, wanting to reunite with Lucas, who has loved her since her first incarnation, yet unsure whether fulfilling the ancient prophecy will protect those she loves or destroy them.In Wildwood, the third book of the Moonlit Trilogy, Tanzy's journey races toward a final battle within the Unseen.Tanzy Hightower has crossed the veil and entered the Unseen world to fulfill the destiny she has at last embraced, to either seal or destroy the veil between the Seen and Unseen worlds. She is the only mortal in a land teeming with creatures who want her dead. To stay alive long enough to stop Asher, the most powerful of the Unseen, Tanzy accepts his marriage proposal and seeks refuge inside his palace.On the Seen side of the veil, Tanzy's allies are fragmented and lost, without leadership. They must gather forces and train an army of candidates to defend their world against unfathomable predators poised to strike should the veil holding them at bay dissolve.While Tanzy has accepted her own inevitable death in fulfilling her destiny, her closest friends refuse to stop searching for the impossible: a way to save Tanzy's life.

Now join me in giving Jadie a warm welcome as she tells us about her journey. Welcome, Jadie.

Pretty sentences are my happy place. I love constructing a single line, especially if it’s a description. I will stuff every word with meaning, agonize over naming a shade of a color, insert a turn of phrase that manipulates the meaning of an entire sentence. There are two problems with this love of mine. 1. It’s exhausting, and 2. It’s not nearly as valuable as I once thought. For years, I wholly, vehemently disagreed with what I just said. I lived for the “darlings,” for the heavy-hitting sentences. Turns out, they’re mostly just heavy, and they were weighing my plot down. But still, I clung to them, and finally I realized: I have no idea how to plot a story. I write a pretty sentence, reach the end of it, and begin constructing my next pretty sentence. Sometimes, if I was feeling gutsy, I’d construct a pretty scene, and link it to the next pretty scene. But the action and my attention to it came a distant second to stuffing the scene/sentence with perfect words and vivid descriptions. This hit home for me even harder when I read this sentiment: would your book still hold the same potential value for a reader if translated into a different language?

If the power of a sentence becomes lost in translation, the power was never really there.

Once I became a believer, I dedicated myself to understanding the plotline of Wildwood, book #3, before I ever wrote a single sentence. I had to map out what actions set other actions in motion, and why the characters chose their paths. Wildwood covers a lot of ground, and is told from four perspectives. Every word had to propel one or more characters forward. There was no room for pretty-for-pretty’s sake. I had been depending on “pretty” to carry me through because I wasn’t confident in my ability to tell a story. It was hard to admit, but facing myself with this new knowledge was actually a relief. I deconstructed how I wrote and why I wrote. I grabbed the proverbial flashlight and shone it hot and bright on the holes in my writerly toolbox. I braced myself for the work to become harder. Instead it became easier because I knew what was coming next in the story and, most importantly, why. Story-telling still isn’t wholly natural for me. I catch myself focusing too hard on a sentence, and now I realize I’m wallowing in a single sentence because I don’t have a clear vision of what is coming next in the plot. So I will redirect my attention to sorting out whatever tangle or plot hole I hadn’t seen coming. I am so grateful that fans of Moonlit have followed me through this education, and I hope you all can see the development from Moonlit to Wildwood – not just in Tanzy, but in me. Thank you so much for having me and for all of your support!

Jadie, thank you for visiting with us and sharing this insight into writing. It’s always a pleasure to have you visit TIP. So glad that you’ve become a ‘storyteller’ even if it isn’t all that natural to you.

For those not familiar with Jadie, here’s a bit of background on her.

Author Jadie Jones

Jadie Jones wrote her first book in seventh grade, filling one hundred and four pages of a black and white Mead notebook. Back then she lived for two things: horses and R.L. Stine books. Fast forward nearly twenty years, and she still works with horses. It’s amazing how much changes... and how much stays the same.

​The dream of publishing a novel has hitch-hiked with Jadie down every other path she‘s taken (and there have been many). Waitress, farm manager, road manager, bank teller, speech writer, retail, and more. But that need to bring pen to paper refused to quiet. Finally, in 2009, she sat down, pulled out a brand new notebook, and once again let the pictures in my head become words on paper.

​Confession time: Jadie Jones is a pen name created to honor two fantastic women who didn't get the chance to live out their professional dreams. First, Jadie’s grandmother - a mother of four during post World War II America, who wanted to be a journalist so bad that even now when she talks about it, her blue eyes mist and she lifts her chin in silent speculation. And second, a dear friend's mother who left this world entirely too soon. To Judy Dawn and Shirley Jones, Jadie Jones is for you. It's been a pleasure getting to know her.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:This giveaway is for one copy of WINDSWEPT, the second installment in the Moonlit Trilogy. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and following the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Moonlit Trilogy Tour.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decide for whatever reason you don’t want to win, once again PLEASE let me know.

Thanks so much for stopping by today during Jadie’s visit. Are you a horse lover? Do you enjoy reading stories that involve other worlds? Are you a storyteller?

E.C., we are definitely alike in that we love finding new authors and new books to read while our TBR stack already threatens to touch the sky. I can't help but assist you in adding a few more from time to time. :)

PS Masy, dear, you can erase that Flood Relief button from your sidebar... it's been more than a year... and the stinkers in our government have long ago stolen half of the money.... so no use of it :(

Alex, I saw some coverage of the area. So terrible. Hope all is well with you and your family. If you know of a relief link I can add to the sidebar, let me know. I'd be happy to include it. Rain can be so helpful at times and so very destructive at others.

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About Me

Hi, I'm Mason Canyon and I love reading and that is why I do reviews. I post them here, as well as several other sites such as Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you are an author who would like for me to review your book or you would like to guest blog here, please contact me at mcbookshelf@gmail.com These reviews are done for the love of a good book, not for monetary rewards.